NPB Tracker, which monitors Japanese baseball players, is reporting the Mets as the front-runners to sign left-hander Ken Takahashi, who was 8-5 with a 3.50 ERA in 21 games last season for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

Takahashi hopes to sign by the end of the year. Reports are he can start or relieve, and he could fit a long-man role. He’s 40, so his best years are behind him.